1. Field
Aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to a rechargeable battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rechargeable batteries can be repeatedly charged and discharged, unlike primary batteries that are incapable of being recharged. A low-capacity battery including one battery cell packaged in the form of a pack is used in a small-sized portable electronic device such as a cellular phone or a camcorder. A high-capacity battery including several tens of battery packs connected to each other is widely used as a power source for driving a motor in a vehicle such as a hybrid electric vehicle.
Rechargeable batteries are fabricated in various shapes, typically cylindrical and prismatic shapes. A rechargeable battery is usually fabricated by interposing a separator as an insulator between strip-shaped positive and negative electrode plates, winding the electrode laminate in a spiral to construct an electrode assembly (or a jelly roll), accommodating the electrode assembly in a case, and installing a cap assembly provided with electrode terminals on the case.
A common high-capacity rechargeable battery includes collector plates for collecting a great amount of current in a short time in aspects of capacity or output. The collector plates are electrically connected to a positive electrode non-coating portion of a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode non-coating portion of a negative electrode plate to induce electric currents generated in the positive and negative electrode plates to positive and negative terminals, respectively. The electrode non-coating portions are exposed at opposite ends of the electrode assembly.